Upcoming Kundiman Events:
The Beauty of a Busted Fruit
with Aurora Masum-Javed
March 11th–April 29th
Thursdays, 6:00 PM–8:30 PM ET
“Rather than systems of control, we need systems of care… What if care rather than economic growth was our greatest priority? Where controlling structures aim to tame, punish, discipline; care listens. Care responds to feedback. Care does not demand a singular outcome. It is instead adaptive. Where control is hierarchical, care requires equity, respects the autonomy and inherent dignity of all involved, honors interdependence.”
––Aurora Masum-Javed, HubCity: “The World We Want”
So often we hide our scars, both physical and emotional. We fear punishment, rejection, judgment. Hiding feels safer. But without revealing ourselves, we remain at a distance, we miss out on connection, intimacy. We lose the possibility of being seen and loved wholly. In Natalie Diaz’s poem “The Beauty of a Busted Fruit,” she posits: What if our scars too are luminous?
In this 8-week workshop, we will read pieces by Ada Limon, Victoria Chang, Kimiko Hahn, Tarfia Faizullah, K-Ming Chang, and others. We will map our scars and investigate their stories. What gift might there be in looking, really looking? The first four weeks will be discussion-oriented and generative; the fifth, a revision deep-dive; the final three weeks, a workshop-esque space, culminating in a longer community share.
eligibility:
This workshop is open to all writers of color, and students must be able to attend all 8 sessions of the workshop. The non-refundable tuition fee is $495. This workshop will be limited to 12 participants and will be held over Zoom. There is one scholarship spot available, and the application is open through February 25th.
REGISTRATION FOR THIS CLASS IS NOW CLOSED.
FACULTY:
Aurora Masum-Javed is a poet, educator, and writing coach. A former public school teacher, she holds an MFA from Cornell University, where she also taught courses in creative non-fiction, short story, poetry, and composition. Her work can be found in various journals including Nimrod, Black Warrior Review, Aster(ix), Winter Tangerine, Frontier, and Callaloo. She has received fellowships from places such as the MacDowell Colony, the Millay Colony, Caldera Arts, Kundiman, Callaloo, Pink Door, BOAAT, and the Community of Writers. A recent Philip Roth Resident and Hub City Writer in Residence, she is currently working on her first collection of poems and living in South Carolina.